Running for a reason

PORTLAND MARATHON-Distance runners race for a cause

Two ladies, pink skirts and tiaras.

Loni Jones and Kim Cultala were hard to miss in the crowd of roughly 8,000 at the Portland Marathon last month. They proudly sported their fairy princess costumes throughout the 26.2-mile run, hoping their eccentric outfits would bring attention to why they were running.

Jones and Cultala have spent three years competing in races, but within the last year they decided to start 'Running for a Reason.' They chose that as the name of their team, but it also became the motivation for their training.

'We wanted to run the marathon for a reason and train for higher reasons other than ourselves,' Jones said.

Jones and Cultala desired to use their running as a way to raise money for causes they felt passionate about - something of significance in their lives and to the people closest to them.

They are both mothers who exercise with other mothers and have friends that have been affected by premature labor and stillbirths.

They decided to devote their efforts to Brief Encounters and Maternal-Fetal Medicine at Emanuel Hospital. Brief Encounters is a support group for parents who have lost children before, during or after birth. Jones already had ties to the group through Noah's Quest, a 5K/10K event held in honor of Noah Cohan, a child of Jones' friend, Carol Cohen, who was a stillborn.

Maternal-Fetal Medicine uses donations to help fund their research for the causes of stillbirths,which has no known cause.